Key Voices

This week we talk to Mary Myatt, Education Thinker and Writer about her book Back on Track: Fewer Things, Greater Depth. Mary explains why she wrote the book and she shares her thoughts about how best to help children catch-up lost learning.  We then dig deeper into her ideas about curriculum and teaching. We focus particularly on understanding why subjects are being taught, the importance of teaching concepts thoroughly and using high-quality texts and materials. She also expresses concern about some practices, particularly around administration, assessment and tracking that divert teachers attention away from focussing on pupils’ learning.    We go on to talk about how to build trust in schools and how leaders can meaningfully consult with teams.  Mary also explains how governors might be able to hold the headteacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils with less “data” in front of them.  We close by wondering what external assessment might look like in this academic year